The war between Dosalyn and Roanaan has ended, but a new battle begins for prisoner-of-war, Ottilde Dominax. Dreams of her witchbreed twin sister are visions of death and betrayal. Driven by their grim warning, she escapes her captors and races across nations to save her sister.

But she may arrive too late…

The Witch

Oriabel Dominax has kept her healing magic secret while she cares for her family’s struggling estate. But the arrival of a new lord with secrets of his own, the discovery of a dark and addictive magic, and threats from a cruel blackmailer push Oriabel closer to disaster. Through it all, the Witch’s Tree calls…

Angry hisses and mutters rippled through the assembly at the announcement of Ottilde’s number.

The guard at the front of their formation watched with a bored expression as the other inmates spat at her feet. “King Killer,” the woman next to her hissed. Ottilde swallowed and her grip on the heartstone tightened. Chroy had not been a king when she threw her knife into his throat, not yet. But he had been their future, their hope.

Ottilde raised one hand into the air. “Here.” The commotion died down after he called a few more numbers and Ottilde let out her long-held breath. She loosened her fingers from around the heartstone.

They came away aching with the force of her hold.

When all the prisoners were accounted for, several inmates broke formation to walk to the dining house for breakfast. The guards, however, growled at them to remain in line, shoving some of the slower ones back into place.

Ottilde frowned at the change in routine, and peered around. Prison Chief Wilder Coomb strode towards them on the other side of the wire fence that formed the front of the yard, his adjutant close at his side. One of the guards unlocked the yard gate and stood back as the Chief entered.

Wilder Coomb was a formidable man. He might once have been handsome, but life had bullied him viciously. His shaved head sported a deep, curling scar on one side of his scalp, while his face and neck carried similar gruesome marks. One earlobe was missing, which gave his head a cock-eyed appearance when viewed straight on. A jagged horizontal line along his neck indicated someone had tried to cut his throat at one time. But Ottilde believed the most impressive scar lay behind the patch over his left eye.

The silvery tail of the wound snaked down his cheek and neck to disappear in the stiff collar of his forest green officer’s coat. Upon reaching the front of the prisoner formations, he folded his hands behind his back and swept a contemptuous eye over them. Ottilde could only imagine what he saw as he stared at them, the ragged unlucky soldiers taken prisoner during the recent Pleinour War. For a moment, Chief Coomb’s hard, dark eye settled on her and she lifted her chin, refusing to show him how much he intimidated her. But his gaze moved on, and she sensed the subtle shift of discomfort in the prisoners around her when one of them felt the whip of his gaze.

He held up a sheaf of folded papers; a letter, judging by the regular creases. “Queen Kuonrada has fled and Deauxerr has vanquished her armies.”

The prisoners shuffled and muttered. The cold air warmed with the force of their anger and humiliation. Ottilde kept her eyes on Chief Coomb’s face, though she felt a good portion of their collective rage focused on her. She knew she held blame for breaking the back of Roanaan’s fighting spirit.

“Over the last several weeks,” Coomb continued, “those with authority in such matters have considered what to do with you all. I have a list of officers and knights to be traded for Deauxerr soldiers now held by the remnant of Roanaan’s military as an act of diplomatic faith. Step forward when I read your number. You will be readied immediately for transport to the exchange point.” He snapped his fingers and his adjutant took the letter from his hand, replacing it with a single sheet of dark paper. Coomb scanned it and shouted out prisoner numbers.

Ottilde’s breathing grew irregular with hope as each man or woman came forward in answer to the prison chief’s summons. But he reached the last number on the list without calling hers. Her stomach soured as she watched a contingent of guards escort the fifty or so fortunate prisoners from the yard.

Once the yard gate had shut again. Chief Coomb’s adjutant handed him another paper. “Now, King Talin of Deauxerr has decided to offer those of you with reports of good conduct and no criminal past the opportunity to swear fealty to the Deauxerr crown. Talin has granted you permission to return to Roanaan or settle in Deauxerr; also, you will be given a small subsidy to start your new life. If you wish to accept this offer, step forward when I read your number.” He sounded off another list of prisoners.

Again, Ottilde listened tensely for her number, though she knew how unlikely it was she would hear it this time. Coomb must have called a hundred numbers or more, but Ottilde estimated only forty prisoners stepped forward. They averted their eyes from those who remained in the formations. Another handful of guards led this group from the yard.

“As for the rest of you,” Coomb said, “you are to be moved to a civilian prison facility where you will no longer be my concern.” He folded his arms behind his back. “Remember, as long as you remain in this camp, or in the custody of my staff, you will obey Lachlas regulations. Everyone will appear for morning roll every day. You all know what will happen should even one of your numbers go missing.” He gave them a last menacing glare then stalked to the yard gate.

About the Author:

R.L. Martinez writes fantasy and science fiction with dark edges and corners. She began writing when she was in the seventh grade when her teacher assigned a creative writing project. She lives in Norman, OK with her husband, two young sons, a mouse-killing cat, and two naughty pooches.

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Hi everyone! I’m super excited to be a part of the book blitz for K.T. Hanna’s PARASITE! K.T. is an absolute sweetheart and writes kick-ass sci-fi novels. Books 1 and 2 (CHAMELEON and HYBRID) are available for $.99 on Amazon, so WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Summary from Goodreads:With the Damascus closing in on the Exiled, Sai and Dom must put their grief and inner demons aside as they rush to free the people of the Protected Conglomerate from the influence of the psionic grid.

Chipped and placed under house arrest with a guard, Bastian’s only hope lies in reaching his core to disrupt Deign’s ruthless plan.

Intent on putting a stop to the Damascus and the GNW’s reign, Dom discovers the true extent of the parasite within. Just when Sai thinks the Exiled have a chance, their greatest weapon turns on them.

Alpha is stationary and eerily silent when Mele catches up to it. The adrium netting camouflage flickers in and out softly, appearing every several seconds, as if a swarm of fireflies surround the dome. Dom sighs with relief that it’s still standing. Without seeing them, he knows there are people working frantically to get it functional again. If it doesn’t work properly, they’re sitting ducks.

The cargo ramp lowers slowly, an occasional hitch pausing it. Dom waits impatiently, tapping his foot and the light from the lowering ramp momentarily blinds him. As he pulls Mele into the bay, laser points appear on his vehicle—targeting sights for crossbows. He moves cautiously toward the door as it opens and finds Mason, pale and gaunt, flanked by two guards on each side.

They acknowledge him by lowering their weapons.

“It’s you.” The relief in Mason’s tone is palpable, as is the exhaustion.

Mason raises his eyebrows as he motions over to the cargo bay door. He takes a step inside Mele and glances around. “Survivors.” His shoulders sag, and the tension drains from his frame a little. “I thought we’d lost them all.”

Dom has a thousand things sitting on his tongue, but he swallows most of them and settles for, “I thought we’d lost her. I can’t afford to lose her.” His grip on the sinuous tendrils of impatience and darkness tightens, choking them back.

About the Author

KT Hanna has a love for words so extreme, a single word can spark entire worlds.

Born in Australia, she met her husband in a computer game, moved to the U.S.A. and went into culture shock. Bonus? Not as many creatures specifically out to kill you.
When she’s not writing, she freelance edits for Chimera Editing, and chases her daughter, husband, corgi, and cat. No, she doesn’t sleep. She is entirely powered by the number 2, caffeine, and beef jerky.

Vika Andreyeva can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.

And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.

Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?

For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.

And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love . . . or be killed himself.

As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear . . . the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

About Evelyn:

Evelyn Skye was once offered a job by the C.I.A., she not-so-secretly wishes she was on “So You Think You Can Dance,” and if you challenge her to a pizza-eating contest, she guarantees she will win. When she isn’t writing, Evelyn can be found chasing her daughter on the playground or sitting on the couch, immersed in a good book and eating way too many cookies. THE CROWN’S GAME is her first novel. Evelyn can be found online at www.evelynskye.com and on Twitter @EvelynSkyeYA.

When Winell Road: Beneath the Surface was released back in April, Kate didn’t embark on a great deal of promotion. Because of a lot of ‘things’. So, to make up for that and to kick off the festivities for her favourite time of year – Christmas! – she’s taken Winell Road on a little tour, hoping to spread the word and introduce lots of new young readers to, what she believes is, a great big dollop of sci-fi fun and adventure.

Here’s a little info…

Twelve-year old Jack Mills lives at 5 Winell Road and probably has the world’s weirdest neighbours. Like freakishly weird. And to top it off, he lives with Mum: nosy, interfering, a hideous cook, and Dad: unsuccessful inventor of the Camera Belt and Self-Closing Window. All in all, it’s a boring, embarrassing, dead-end place to live.

So when Jack arrives home from school one day, a close shave with a UFO is the last thing he expects. But the fact it doesn’t abduct him, and that no one else, not even Mum, sees the gigantic flying saucer hovering over the street, adds a whole new layer of strange.

Soon after, an alien encounter threatens Jack’s life and he becomes embroiled in a galaxy-saving mission. With the assistance of his new neighbour, frighteningly tall Roxy Fox, he discovers Winell Road is hiding secrets—secrets Jack might wish he’d never uncovered.

REVIEWS!

If you’re still not sure, here’s a couple of reviews…

‘Winell Road: Beneath the Surface is a fast-paced middle-grade adventure story with the feel of Men in Black. Jack is a smart, resourceful boy with more abilities than he’s ever dreamed off, and he finds out that the world is a far stranger place than he imagined. The action is non-stop and will keep readers riveted.’ examiner.com

‘This book will work wonderfully read aloud in class. There are enough cliff-hanger chapter endings to keep them begging for more. It will also promote discussion about making snap judgments while providing plenty of scope for related art projects.’ Buzz Words Magazine

Kate is an Englishwoman on the Gold Coast in Australia. A middle grade writer, freelance editor, the editorial director at Lakewater Press and all around lover of the written word, she is ruled by her three sons, husband and spoodle pup. Not one to have a quiet day, she spends her free time mentoring new writers in contests like Nest Pitch and Pitch Wars, judging writing contests and helping out at Writers Activation on the Gold Coast. Other than that, she likes laying in bed or by the pool with a book!

If you would like to stalk Kate you can follow her on Twitter or visit her blog, where you can also find out about her editorial services.

GIVEAWAY!

It would make a great stocking filler for children. BUT, if you’re feeling particularly lucky, she’s giving away three signed copies just in time for Christmas! Yippee!

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One of my favorite authors — the AMAZING Susan Dennard — has a new Fantasy book coming out in January called TRUTHWITCH. Before Truthwitch, she wrote the Something Strange and Deadly series, which I absolutely loved. Also, she has a website littered with advice for writers, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t read through all of it. Especially the synopsis post. OH THE DREADED SYNOPSIS.

Anyway, I offered to draw some portraits for Susan, because, like I said, she’s a) awesome and b) I would’ve ended up doing them anyway because I can’t help myself. So here is my version of Safiya fon Hasstrel, Truthwitch extraordinaire!

(alternative version can be found here). Iseult, Merik and Aeduan to come!

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I am suuuper excited to be a part of this cover reveal! Sharon has always been super nice and supportive! So, without further ado, LOOK AT THIS SHINY!

Book Blurb

A new heart should mean new life, instead it’s a living nightmare.

Mishca Richardson’s life is at an all-time high after her heart transplant. With new boyfriend, Ryder, she has the perfect summer romance. Even the nightmares plaguing her sleep since her operation can’t dull her new dream world.

Yet, life starts to unravel when Mishca develops superhuman abilities. She does her best to hide them so as not to end up a science experiment in a lab, but she can’t ignore the strange instant attraction she experiences when she meets her university professor, Colin Reed.

Torn between love and obsession, Mishca must unite her divided heart and decide between the two men. But when the truth about her weird powers comes to light, she’ll have a lot more to worry about than romance.

Praise for Divided

“DIVIDED is a fast-paced adventure filled with mystery, romance, action, and humor.

Mishca and Ryder rank up there with my favorite heroines and heroes ever!

From sunny Queensland in Australia, Sharon writes weird stories and soulful contemporaries across a number of categories. Working as a PR specialist by day, in her spare time she writes, blogs, plays with her fur babies and plays computer games with her family. She’s also been stalked by women wanted to know where she buys her shoes.

I’m Diana, and I will be entering PitchWars with a YA Dark Fantasy manuscript called A Trace of Madness. It has mind witches, shadow people, weird nymps and crazy friends with questionable intentions. It’s the fourth novel child I’ve birthed and it’s, so far, my favorite! (yes, I know, I say this about my latest book every time, but it’s true!)

So here, have some facts about me:

Wait, not THOSE facts.

Let’s try again.

1. I have the best pets ever. One’s a Persian cat called Sushi, and she’s kind enough to let me live in her house; then there’s Jubas, my super-cuddly, kissy-face, all-around sweetheart Maine Coon cross (we think). Finally, there’s Norbert (aka Norby, aka Bubba), the One Dragon to rule them all, whose favorite activities include being awesome and playing video games with me.

We play Saints Row together. He loves trying to eat those mini-map dots.

2. I have a degree in Computer Engineering and am halfway through my Master’s in Video Games. I also work part-time at a serious game start-up (as in, games for educational purposes, not the other kind of serious games), and it’s seriously the best job ever because I get to drink lemon beer at five in the afternoon and I can bring Norbert to the office once in a while.

3. I’m from Portugal, and although I’m seriously considering changing countries, I probably never will because our food is delicious and our weather is seriously good.

Seriously. This was at 9 am. In March. It’s awesome.

4. I once met Ray Muzyka, Warren Spector, Jason Gregory and spent the entire time fangirling over games. I may have embarrassed myself thoroughly, especially since, in the case of Warren Spector, a bunch of us were having dinner and I was maaaybeee slightlyyyyy drunk. #noregrets

5. I also met one of my favorite authors once (Juliet Marillier) and we went shopping for dog clothes. Again, I probably also embarrassed myself there.

Me and my team, presenting Sightless to a jury. We were the runner-up!

7. I also draw and paint a lot (or used to, before my hand decided to crap out on me). Mostly portraits, but, you know, I sometimes do other stuff for the sake of variety. All this because my 8th grade art teacher told me I’d never be good at drawing (so did my mom). I decided to prove them wrong and started practising. I now earn money painting things—HA!

Iriae seems very sweet, but actually, she’s insane.

8. I have three tattoos: two are for 1984, one of my favorite books of all time. The other is for Planescape: Torment, my favorite game of all time.

9. Most of my closest friends came from a Tomb Raider forum dedicated to Kurtis Trent. Twelve years later, we’re still friends. In fact, two of them (my real life OTP) married recently, and I got to fulfill my lifelong dream of being the ring bearer for their wedding. AT 26. THIS PROVES IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

My “I’ve kind of been crying” face at said wedding, with my co-ring bearer, Lara. (thanks for this caption, Anna xD)

11. I love, love, LOVE a youtube series called The Most Popular Girls in School. It’s Barbie dolls cursing a lot, stop-motion animated and it’s brilliant. I quote it a lot, especially the most pertinent question of our generation: “What the #$%& is the Wifi password?”

13. My English is mostly self-taught. At 12, I played Ocarina of Time with a dictionary beside me, and it did wonders. At 13, I wrote dreadful fanfic with tons of errors, but the writing practice helped me improve. Then, at 15, I realized I could read books “earlier” if I read them in English and do you really think I was going to wait another two months before reading Order of the Phoenix? NO. WAY.

14. From 5 to 19, I played roller hockey at a competitive level. I quit because, college, and I still miss it after 7 years.

15. I LOVE traveling, but I’m also TERRIFIED of flying. It’s incredibly inconvenient, but I try to push through it because I like to see new things and meet new people. Also, someone’s cast a curse on me and whenever I go abroad, I come back sick. Went to NYC, came back with a stomach flu. Went to the Netherlands in August, got a crippling cold. Went to Croatia, got heat exhaustion on a boat that knocked me down flat. Went to England, came back with tonsillitis. I can’t wait to see what Las Vegas has for me next year.

18. I’m hard-working and versatile. Bribes to my possible (please pick me! MEEEEE!) mentor will include drawings, silly times with yours truly, enthusiasm, eternal love, geekery, and maybe some food. AND THAT IS ALL I’LL SAY!

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You know how I enter all these writing contests and never place? It was in one of those forays that I met Keith and, a little while later, he got picked up by Champagne Books! I’m so happy to help spread the cover of his awesome book!

Morgan McRobbie will do anything to protect the kingdom of Kilbourne. Even betray it.When Morgan rescues a damsel-in-distress from an errant dragon, he expects she’ll swoon, murmuring “My hero!” Instead, Marissa has only loathing for the man everyone believes will betray Kilbourne. That’s fine with Morgan. A woman in his life would just complicate things.

A high-level informer threatens the kingdom’s security, and Morgan is out to stop him. Posing as a turncoat himself, he walks a fine line between honor and betrayal. A single misstep could result in disaster, and his mission is fraught with distractions: the pesky dragon, a pair of conniving courtiers, a surfeit of spies, and the disillusioned damsel who’s certain Morgan can’t be trusted. If Morgan’s going to save the kingdom, win the girl, and manage to stay alive, he’ll need to step up his game. Because the traitor is lurking in the shadows, and his scheme calls not just for the betrayal of Kilbourne, but also the destruction of Morgan McRobbie.
———————————————————————————————————
TRAITOR KNIGHT is a rollicking fantasy combining swashbuckling adventure, intrigue, a large dollop of romance, and a dash of wit. TRAITOR KNIGHT will be published by Champagne Book Group, with an anticipated release date of September 8, 2015. While not yet available for pre-order, readers can sign up to be notified when the book will be available here.

There’s a giveaway. I’ll be raffling off a digital copy of TRAITOR KNIGHT via Rafflecopter. Here’s the link (also available on the Writing@Knight home page):

About the author: Keith W. Willis graduated (a long time ago) from Berry College with a BA in English Literature and a desire to tell stories. He lives with his amazingly patient, loving, and supportive wife Patty in the upper Hudson Valley region of New York. Keith believes that those rumbling noises long attributed to Henry Hudson’s crew bowling are in actuality dragons grumbling. When Keith isn’t writing down fantastical tales from the land of Kilbourne, he manages a group of database content editors for a global information technology firm. TRAITOR KNIGHT is his first published novel. Check out Keith’s website Writing@Knight or the TRAITOR KNIGHT Facebook page. And be sure to follow @kilbourneknight on Twitter.

Since I’m in dire need of some extra cash, I’ve decided to open up for some art commissions for my “Go to RT convention in Vegas fund”. I’m really best at portraits/people, so that’ll be what I’m offering.

(please note that if I already offered to do a drawing for you, you’ll still be getting that for free)

Simple Sketch

€10

Portrait Sketch

B&W – €15

Color – €20

Full Body Sketch(like the Simple Sketch, but with a full-body version)

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I might happen to be suuuper biased here because Emma is one of my very excellent/awesome CPs (also, a walrus). But her supernatural NA Bearwood series is amazing and if you don’t read it it’s because you’re stoopid.
(plus, the first book is pretty much free, so what are you waiting for?)

ANYWAY! The cover and trailer you’re all here for!

I am pleased to bring you the cover & trailer reveal for Finding Immortal, Book #2 in the Bearwood series by E.L. Wicker

Blurb

After losing the love of her life, Ilia Rose will do anything to feel Nathaniel’s presence, even if it means freezing or drinking copious amounts of alcohol.

When she learns that Alex is tracking down the remnants of Sol’s army to deliver his own style of justice, she rushes off to find him.

On an alcohol induced killing spree, Ilia and Alex receive information that sends their hopes soaring, thus beginning a race to discover the truth about Nathaniel’s death.

Unfortunately, for Ilia, the truth may prove far more dangerous than any enemy she has ever faced.

If you haven’t read book #1 yet, Fractured Immortal, it’s free over on Amazon.

About The Author

E.L. Wicker lives in Hampshire, England, with her husband and two daughters. Her debut book, Fractured Immortal, was released in December 2014, and in June 2015 was short listed for a Self published and Small press award. She is a regular contributor to YATopia, Whiskey, Wine, and Writing, as well as a co-host for the Whiskey, Wine, and Writing web show. E.L. Wicker is a New Adult junkie, with a stack of NA books a mile high on her TBR list and a stack that could possibly stretch to the moon in her already read list. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog. She also regularly sets up new blogs and designs logos and banners for people at no cost.